by Kaitlyn Emslie Farrell
Winnipeg’s own the Unbelievable Bargains are no laughing matter. Well, feel free to laugh with them, as their lyrics portray the everyday crap that most people endure – but don’t get confused, the band is a serious project. The group consists of three members: Marshall Birch on guitar, Steve Basham on bass, and JP Perron on drums. They’re all on vocals, of course.
How did it all begin? “Get drunk on Wednesdays, play some songs,” says Basham. “I think it’s good if people laugh and have fun, I think it’s funny,” says Birch. “We’re trying to be amusing more than anything. I write songs that amuse myself.” These guys just want to have a good time with their fans.
Just one of the reasons people are drawn to the Unbelievable Bargains is the relatability of their lyrics. “You write a song about something that happened in your day, someone else is like, ‘oh yeah that happened to me,’” says Birch. “They’re very accessible songs lyrically. It’s easy to hear the lyrics and tell what I’m saying. They’re pretty blunt.” Catchy is a characteristic that has worked in music for a long time. It’s the quality a band wants when they’re having fun. It enables the crowd to join in. “It seems to be appealing to people that we went through the trouble of writing songs about some of these things,” says Basham. “And then more songs about the same things,” adds JP. The format seems to be working for them so they’ll likely stick with it. “I’ll write songs on another topic but they’re usually not as good,” says Birch.
Their trademark is the ample amount of songs about cats. I had to ask if there was any particular reason for the abundance of feline mentions. “Cause we like cats,” says Birch. “If you’ve got a cat it’s a decent part of your life. You wake up, you’ve gotta feed the cat, wash its box, it’s something that happens. It’s like as big as the dishes.” It has gotten to the point in which the fans at shows yell out, ‘more cat songs!’ So is it a cat complex, or an appreciation that is shared with the general public? The Unbelievable Bargains are creating a community through music where people may come together and express their mutual fondness for the little furballs. It’s not just about cats though. “We have a few dog songs but none of us have a dog. We still like them,” says JP. Cats are simply more present. “I write songs about whatever happens in my life a lot of the time, and since cats are around they’re in my head a lot. I like them, they’re cute. They’re on the internet a lot,” says Birch.
I asked if they thought they’d ever run out of things to talk about or become redundant but it doesn’t appear to be a fear of theirs. “I keep talking about the same things already,” says Birch. “There’s a lot of funny animals out there – I can keep going for a long time I think.”
The guys’ third album Exuberance Abounds was released on September 12th at a party of a show, balloons and all. The guys crowdfunded for this last album and although didn’t quite reach their goal, they got far enough to deliver. If you’re not familiar with crowdfunding, the way it basically works is the artist lists different incentives at different prices and you pay for what you want. It’s often a good way to pre-order albums, receive limited edition merchandise, etc. The guys wanted to keep their incentives priced fairly and deliver on their promises. “We can’t get into the business of ripping people off and be called the Unbelievable Bargains,” says Basham.
The Bargains made a $100 incentive whereby you pay to have a song written about you. People loved it. Currently three of the songs are already written and they are all going to be recorded. They don’t actually know a lot of the people who ordered these quirky, personal tunes, so they required a list of facts about each person. “It’s just taking those facts and making them rhyme,” says Birch.
The Bargains are going to tour through the prairies soon. After that they’re going to record all of those crowdsourced songs. The cycle will likely continue after that. With a band full of songwriters, how could they not? “Keep writing about cats,” says Marshall. “Maybe some dog songs,” adds JP.
Keep your ears peeled for more quirky goodness from the Unbelievable Bargains.